The Arrow's Path

The C of E just released a new questionaire for priests to consider giving new couples thinking of getting married. It actually has some interesting questions that might be good for counselling. Check out this interesting article here .

A new census report at the Vatican estimated there are over 1 billion members of the Roman Catholic church, apparently increasing the total by 14 million since 2002. Half of which live in the Americas with 112ooo in seminary worldwide. While I am decidedly Protestant, I'll tip my hat, or perhaps my biretta, to the RCs. At least some church is not declining.

Well, the Lutherans (of whom I am dating one) released their report and recommendations from the Task Force from the ELCA Studies on Sexuality. If you want to read it, click here . I have been meaning to comment on this for some time. As I read it, its basically ambivalent. The ambivalence that has greeted the report has been reflected in the news coverage, with The Washington Times taking the report as a victory for self-identified gay activists while NPR and The Washington Post have described it as a loss for activists or as a wash . Just what we need, more incoherence.

Baptism is perhaps the most important sacrament of the church in terms of what it means to be initiated into the community of believers. But Baptism is more than just some sort of mindless initiation ceremony or rite of passage. From the earliest days of Christianity, the rite of Baptism has been viewed in terms of death and re-life. It is through Baptism that we become full members of the body of Christ by entering the tomb of Christ in the baptismal font, and as it says on page 308, the newly baptized “are raised to the new life of grace.”. Baptism in some ways is like the process of going into the military. You are not immediately sworn in and begin full time service as a soldier on a base right after you walk into and out of the recruiter's office. By law, the recruiter has to give you an amount of time as a “cooling off period” to make sure you are not being impulsive and doing something that you will regret the next day. Often the recruiter will talk with you several times ...

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My parent's dobie

I have learned through the grape vine that my friend Dr. Rusty Reno, one of the most brilliant Anglicans I have ever met personally, has decided to leave the Anglican Church and became a Roman Catholic. Here's an interesting article he wrote on the Renewal of Anglicanism . Good luck Rusty...I hope you find what you are looking for.

The Ancient View of the Baptismal Font as Tomb From the earliest days of Christianity, the rite of Baptism has been viewed in terms of death and re-life. St. Paul writes extensively in the epistles about this concept. The non-canonical book Shepherd of Hermas 1 has a vision of of righteous men ascending through the water to be made alive. Origen introduces and modifies this view of death and rebirth through baptism in a unique view of the baptismal font as “tomb” in the 3rd Century. 2 To Origen and later church fathers, to view the baptism font like the Tomb of Christ was essential to understanding the concept and importance of baptism. The catechumens initiation paralleled Christ's passion and death and subsequent resurrection. From descriptions like Cyril of Jerusalem, we learn that those to be baptized were wrapped in white linens as cross was brought down from the cross and put into the water and raised up only as Christ was put into the tomb and resurrected on the third d...

Here is the Bishops response to the Windsor Report. My play by play commentary in bold. Anglican General's Warning: the following is rated TV-PG for sarcasm, cynicism, and random Methodists: viewer discretion is advised. The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church January 12 – 13, 2005 Salt Lake City To the faithful in Christ Jesus, greetings in the season of Epiphany. We rejoice together with you that God has “caused a new light to shine in our hearts” revealing God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord. The sufferings of our brothers and sisters in the aftermath of tsunamis in South Asia and flooding and mud slides in California and here in Utah where we are meeting, make us long all the more for this new light revealed to us in Christ. We are mindful as well of the suffering around the world caused by global poverty, HIV/AIDS, malaria, other diseases, and war. In this suffering world we are called to “serve and signify God’s mission to the world, that mission...

Well, the Big Boys in Purple are at it again. At the meeting of the House of Bishops, they are discussing the Windsor Report and what to do about it. They essentially pulled the old obfuscate and delay tactics again. The European Bishop (of all people) has a few interesting words . Basically its just more of the same. Please continue to pray for the House.

As opposed to the various other written styles in the book of Jeremiah, due to the prose, almost Psalter-like, literary style of the laments, historical and redaction biblical critics debate whether the exegesis of texts like Jeremiah 20:7-13 should be viewed through the lens of Jeremiah as the purveyor of these laments about his own existential theodicy, or whether these laments should be viewed from the more collective or group-social allegorical standpoint. In other words, does the lament come from a later editor and represent the people in the context of the exile as a sort of “national lament,” or, in fact, does it really matter in terms of theodicy whether the lament was about Jeremiah's personal life or a broader psalm written by a later prophet or editor regarding the fallen state of the people of Israel? Jeremiah 20: 7-13 is the fifth of what has been attributed to that prophet's personal laments; this is one of the reasons why Jeremiah has historically been referre...

In my pseudo-class of Gospel Mission, we have been debating (or bemoaning) the decline of membership in mainline Protestant churches and what we can do about it. I remember, from my years of being a political science major "back in the day," that decline in membership is not completely exclusive to Western churches. I cannot remember specifically any study or work to cite for this (I would have to dig deep through the undergrad fog past the out of date potato salad which is not advisable) but I recall reading several things in contemporary political theory classes that in the post Boomer era, all form of civic groups (non-religious) have also radically declined in membership. Back in the '50s, it was quite common, and coincidentally the thing to do, to be active in several civic or social groups like Kiwanis, the local Moose lodge, VFW, PTA, etc. Nowadays, virtually no one under 40 or 50 years old has ever joined or been a member of any sort of civic community club. The...

And just when I was had posted that there may yet be hope for Europe, along comes this. This has to be worth a few pages in somebody's theological diatribe, so it might as well be mine. That's right, you know you've wanted it, you know you have craved it. Its Jerry Springer: The Opera Hey, I can't make this stuff up...Tell me again why I service the Anglican Communion?

Oh the irony...here is an interesting little article on how science, once railed against by the Church, is being used to protect and restore priceless works of religious art.

Well, it appears the Church of England's attendance in on the rise. Who'da thunk it?

Today's (or tomorrow's as its midnight) thought for the day comes from Chapter 20, pg. 40, of the Rule of the Society of St. John the Evangelist . I think these are words of wisdom in this day and age, especially for the ECUSA. "The life we live is permeated by Holy Scripture; it has a central place in our worship, our preaching, our meditation and reading, and our study. Through the scriptures the living voice of God is continually active to convert, nourish, and transform us. The more open ourselves to their riches, the more we have to share with others. And the more we open the scriptures to others, the more we discover in them for our own lives." Short, sweet, and to the point. G'Night folks!

We are quickly ending the season of Christmas (yes, its still Christmas, despite what ye hooligans might think), which will end on January 6th, also known as the Feast of the Epiphany. But what exactly does that mean? The term is originally derived from the Roman festival Epiphania which, as I understand it, was a fair in which earthenware and whistles were bought. Don't ask me why, those silly Romans ;) Epiphany as a church holiday began in the eastern church; Clement and Hippolytus both make vague references to it, so it goes back at least into the mid to late 100's. The Western church had already established Christmas before the idea of Epiphany presented itself, likely in the late 300s to early 400s. Originally not a fixed date (much like Easter) it eventually came to be fixed on January 6th, to complete the 12 days of Christmas. Epiphany is, in essence, a celebration of the divinity of Jesus and his adult ministry. The term epiphany means "to show" or ...

Just wanted everyone to know that I have arrived safely back at Seabury. O'Hare airport was a zoo and manuvering 2 suitcases on the L train was a hassle, but its good to be back. Hope everyone is having a good Christmas (Yes its still Christmas until Epiphany on the 6th, folks). I shall be back to my theological commentating tomorrow. Right now its time for some deep dish pizza.